Robot Hearts
by yunor
Summary: After Judy is somewhat forced into joining the Specters, her life goes for a nasty tumble down the rabbit hole.
1. Badges and Upgrades

Chapter 1: Badges And Upgrades

* * *

 **Judy's POW:**

It's the year 2231.

To be more precise it's a few days before New Years, just after Christmas. And it's a Monday…

Just like every day so far, I've been the first one to come in to the bullpen each morning. I've taken up the habit of drinking strong coffee in the wee hours of the morning to keep me awake through the day. So once again it was just me in the room with a steaming cup of coffee on the table in front of me.

One would think that with technology jumping leaps and bounds ahead of its time, the chief would have the sense to put in a chair that could help me see OVER the damn table without me having to stand on it. Of course if I were to bring that to his attention he would probably pester me to get those free upgrades that every officer is entitled to. It's pretty safe to say that he won't get on my ass too much, seeing how I'm still one of his top officers, even if I'm still just a biological.

It's strange how easily everyone lives with technology literally being a part of them. Me, I don't really like the idea of not being entirely me. I like giving it the best I've got without any artificial muscle.

Sure the other officer keep joking that I should get my head out of the past but it doesn't feel right to me. I mean sure the upgrades started decades before I was born, maybe even a whole century! But still. The magic though… That one's pretty recent. Still way before I came to be but people aren't completely used to being able to do almost anything they want yet. And the law had to adapt to that pretty fast. As far as I was told in basic, in a matter of months after the outbreak, there were mammals literally teleporting into banks and stealing money. That meant we had to develop some pretty heavy duty stuff that would secure banks and other buildings from teleportation and other magic. We call those safety measures The Ticks. They're utterly inhumane. If you teleport to where you're not supposed to be, or if you use threatening magic among other mammals, they'll tick you.

Quite literally. A nanoscale biotech tick would be shot into your skin with a robots' precision. No way it ever missed. You didn't feel getting ticked, but once you were, the Specters knew exactly where you are. And once the specs were after you, it meant you're dead. No one ever survived the specs. Any media coverage was explicitly forbidden and all signals were jammed in the immediate vicinity of a specter, which made each and every single one of them basically nonexistent.

They are like ghosts. Stories are the only evidence of their existence.

"Yo gun-bunny!" Fangmeyer's voice buzzed me out of my little haze. I must've dozed off pretty well seeing as to how half of the bullpen was filled by now. Fangmeyer is one of my closest friends on the force. He's quite a well-built tiger and sports biotic ears and an aug lower left arm, which the hospital outfitted him with once he lost his real arm in a bad traffic accident when chasing a fugitive in a high-speed car chase.

"I told you not to call me that fang-tooth." I scowled at him. The tiger really did like to poke and prod at me all the time. Who does he think he is, with his staggering build and smooth smile and those big strong… JUDY SNAP OUT OF IT!

"You know you love it Juds." He stuck his tongue out at me and walked away! Oh the nerve!

I just fumed silently on my chair until everyone else came in and with them chief Bogo. A cape buffalo with almost no augments visible on his outside. But on the inside he was more machine than mammal. It's sad actually. The chief protected an elderly couple with his body from a crazed gunman. Although he was riddled with holes the chief still managed to get them out alive and only with minor injuries. His life was saved by having the doctors replace almost all of his organs and tissues with synthetics and prosthetics.

"At ease officers!" His gruff voice calmed everyone down at once, at which point the chief proceeded with giving us our assignments for the day.

"Today one of you is getting promoted." Soft bustle filled the pen as everyone kept looking at each other in anticipation. "The specs are sending two men over who will pick one of you to join them in their ranks." He looked over the room and his gaze lingered on me a little bit longer than on everyone else.

"As you know this doesn't happen very often. And since they only take the elite into their folds I expect you to be at your best if you get chosen. No officer of mine will get kicked out of the Specters am I clear?!" He barked over all of us and a collective HOOAH echoed through the bullpen. Just then a soft knock was heard on the door and the chief went over to open it.

"Ah you must be the two that were sent over. I'm Chief Bogo. Pleased to meet you." He was courteous and polite as with any stranger whom he met. And through the door first stepped a grey wolf whose dark brown eyes were clearly augments, as for any other body prosthetics they were hidden under the black suit he wore.

"Delgato. Pleased as well." He took a few more steps inside and spoke again, still not looking at anyone. "This is my colleague, Wilde." And right then my heart froze. Through the door came slowly the most handsome fox I had ever had the privilege to undress with my eyes. And he looked biological. Like me! Which meant that I had a real shot at this!

 **Nicks POW:**

"Ugh, why does it have to be on a fucking Monday?" I grumbled at the squad meeting.

"Because Nick, I like seeing you suffer." The gray wolf spoke directly at me, showing off his pearly white fangs. The rest of the squad was barely even present. Out of the five of us only me, Delgato and Finnick were present. Not even the squad captain was here to grace us with his overbearing presence. "Knock it off you two! Nick get in the damn car with Ed and go get yourself a new partner! Or I'll BITE YER FACE OFF!" I swear to god if he wasn't so scary that fennec would be adorable.

"Sheesh okay okay. Wake me up when we get there." I huffed as I made my way to the black half limo and sprawled across the back seats. At least I could take a little nap on the drive there. And not even Eds shitty driving would stop me from sleeping since the back of the limo was so well cushioned that you felt like you were floating.

After half an hour of drifting between sleep and somber waking life I decided to sit up just as we pulled in front of the ZPD. "You awake back there Nicky?" Delgato smirked towards me from the driver's seat.

"I swear I will shoot you when you aren't looking." I deadpanned back at him. All the damned wolf did was laugh and then got out of the car. I made my way out too and then followed my friend inside the Police Department and up some wonky looking stairs. After we got to a place labeled the 'bullpen' he knocked and went in ahead, sputtering some polite nonsense to a boorish looking buffalo. After he called my name I figured it was my turn to make my presence known so I made my way inside and off the bat I knew who my partner was going to be. Among everyone in the room I had to pick one. I didn't even have to look at everyone to know it was going to be her. She looked right. It felt right. And I knew to trust my instincts without question.

Now it was just a matter of making everyone else not hate her for being chosen.

 **Third Person POW:**

As the two black clad mammals stood in the bullpen, surveying the potential candidates, chief Bogo closed the door and returned to his podium. "My officers already know why you're here." He said to the wolf.

"Oh how nice. That saves us plenty of time then. Nick did you make a choice yet?" Delgato said, grinning at his shorter fox friend.

The fox grunted and haphazardly pointed in the direction of an elephant.

"M-me sir?" Jason, the young elephant officer stammered out and got a few pats on the back from his coworkers. Bogo cleared his throat "Jason is a great officer Mr. Wilde. He will not disappoint you of that I am sure."

The fox in black shot him a dirty look as if to say that he wasn't finished yet and Bogo immediately shut up. "I'm not pointing at the elephant. I _want_ the fluff that's been gawking at me since I stepped in here."

Delgato pinched the bridge of his muzzle "You're unbelievable you know that?". Nick merely grunted again and lowered his finger. "So fluff. You comin' or not?" He turned to Judy, motioned towards the door and began walking off.

"W-Wait!" The bunny stammered out, looking at Nick like he'd just punched her clear across the face. "Hmm?" The fox in question raised an eyebrow and turned back to her, standing in the doorframe of the bullpen. Judy took a deep breath, feeling the eyes of everyone drilling holes in the back of her head.

"Why me?" She looked around the room before speaking up again. "There are at least half a dozen officers here who outrank me by far in both experience and skill." She felt her coworkers relax a bit. Nick on the other hand pressed his lips in a thin line and made his way to the table behind which Judy stood. She looked in his eyes and felt afraid. Utter fear gripped at her heart due to the dead, lifeless eyes that were staring into her very core. _Not a biological!_ Her brain screamed at her.

" _Because_ fluff." The fox seethed at her, "We don't take the very best or the most qualified. What would happen to the local law enforcement if we took away their best officers and left behind common _rabble_?"

The air in the room was dripping with unease and tension. Most of the bigger police officers narrowed their eyes at the black clad fox for insulting their coworker.

"The _reason_ why I picked you, fluff, is because you have _potential_. If nurtured right, I know that you could surpass me beyond what you could EVER hope to imagine." He took a few steps back and clasped his paws behind his back and he glared at the entirety of the ZPD that was before him. "The rest of you, while more skilled or experienced than fluff here, have no room for improvement whatsoever, unless you get aug'd." He narrowed his eyes dangerously at that.

"Whoah careful Wilde, I'm sure they have guns." Delgato snickered behind him. An officer stood up from somewhere in the middle – a tiger with synthetic ears and what appeared to be a boring lower left arm. "Yeah _Wilde_ " He mocked. "Who the hell do you think you are to spit on us here?"

The rest of the officers barked something along the lines of YEAH or SCREW THE SPECS and Bogo could be seen smirking to himself behind the two Specters' backs.

The tiger made his way to the front of the room, clearly towering over the fox. "Let me show you what the ZPD elite are made of." He growled with a devilish smile and raised his fists.

At this Delgato started to panic. Turning to the silent chief, he pleaded "Put a leash on him right now Bogo!" The cape buffalo looked at him with a deadpan face. "My officers can handle themselves, Specter."

Before Delgato could try any further to convince the chief to put a stop to what was about to happen, the tiger took a swing right at the fox's head with his prosthetic arm.

And in the blink of an eye and a single clean motion, he tumbled to the ground screaming in pain. The other officers gawked in horror at their fallen comrade and at the fox who clutched the bionic arm in his right paw.

"AAARH! THE FUCKER RIPPED IT OFF!" the tiger clutched at his bleeding and torn off elbow, from which loose tendons and wires hung.

None dared approach to help for fear of the fox.

With a cold stare the fox made his way around the tiger and towards the exit of the room, stopping at the door. "Ed, deal with this. And you" he looked at Judy "come with me." With that he made his way out of the bullpen, and on the way dumped the torn prosthetic in a trash basket for the entire force to see.

Seeing that the bunny was hesitating, Delgato moved to her and quite literally picked her up from the chair and took her out of the room, placing her a few feet behind the fox. When he returned to the pen, he made sure to close the door behind him.

Silent tears began to flow down fuzzy grey cheeks as she stared at this _THING_ before her.

"H-he was my friend…" She barely managed to say, her mind still feeling the shock of seeing yet at the same time NOT SEEING her friends' arm being torn off.

He looked her dead in the eye. "I know."

 _ **To be continued…**_


	2. Badges and Upgrades part II

2\. Badges and Upgrades part II

* * *

 _"_ _H-He was my friend…"_

 _He looked her dead in the eye. "I know."_

 **Nick's POW:**

Well it's done.

The entire ZPD hates my guts and not a single one of the fuckers will even consider joining now. Bastards must be thinking how unfortunate fluff here was to have been picked by the 'Big Bad Fox'. I continued looking at the rabbit behind me with as much indifference as I could muster. Good, she's looking at me like I'm some fucking monster. It's better for everyone involved if it stays this way.

"What's with the waterworks fluff?" _Be cruel_. "Your life here is over. Forget about all of your so called friends." _Don't fuck this up._ "God knows they'll forget about the poor widdle bunny who got dragged off to the specs.". I turned my head away from her.

She was still crying.

"Suck it up." I borderline growled at this point. "You're still officially part of whatever passes for law enforcement here so I'll be your ride along on a patrol today." _Just walk away damnit._ "5 minutes fluff. I'll be waiting in the garage." I managed to sneak a look at her as I was walking down the stairs. The way she looked at me…

I really am a fucking MONSTER.

 **Judy's POW:**

Forget about my friends…

Forget how he RIPPED Fangmeyer's arm off?!

I'll never give him the satisfaction.

I bowed my head low when he was talking to me. No way I'd EVER look at those dead eyes again. Even machines have more heart than this cold freak does. And they're all acting like I don't even have any say in this! They're just picking me up like I'm some kind of stuffed animal.

"I'll be waiting in the garage." I looked up when he started walking away. He's going to be my partner for the day. Fucking terrific. But no way in hell am I taking his damn orders! I'm not going anywhere until the chief says otherwise. With that I made my way back to the pen. When I opened the door I saw Fangmeyer sitting on the floor, leaning against the podium and the other Specter tending to his severed arm. I felt my heart clench at the pain written clear across the tiger's face.

"Is he going to be okay?" I asked the chief after I made my way to Fangmeyer's side and crouched down, holding his shoulder for support.

"He's fine." The wolf cut in. "Knowing Nick, he just busted the stabilizing pins in the elbow but left the nerve ends and blood vessels almost entirely unharmed." He looked at me and then pointed at the garbage basket in which the prosthetic was tossed before. "That piece of junk-"

"HEY!" Fangmeyer meowled in pain and anger. I smiled at his stupid cat face.

"That heap of utter garbage-" The wolf smiled at my friend. "Is now completely useless. The ONLY reason why you're bleeding AT ALL right now though is because of the shoddy craftsmanship that went into that arm my friend. If it was at military standard like it SHOULD have been…" He glared at the chief who remained indifferent to the wolf's presence. "The safety valves would have closed at the moment when the arm was detached-"

"FUUUCK!" Fangmeyer yelled at the top of his lungs as the wolf jammed two fingers into where the bloody elbow was and turned something until it emanated a resounding *click*. After pulling his fingers back out, the wolf unceremoniously wiped them on his black coat.

"And all of this bloody mess could've been avoided." He stood up and turned to the chief.

"No. He would still do something like this." I seethed at the ground. "That fox is a monster." When I looked up I saw the wolf staring at me with the same dead eyes. That wouldn't stop me from saying what was on my mind though. "He's nothing but an emotionless machine. Just a cold freak!"

"Hopps!" Chief Bogo spoke up and it made me shut my mouth immediately.

"What the fuck do you know about Nick." I saw red hot anger boiling right beneath the wolf's surface and I shrunk under his gaze. "What the fuck do you know about what he was put through. He used to be just like you. Not a single upgrade to his name. Never wanted any either." He took a step closer to me. "Then one day we got sent out after a crazy fucker, he got shot, stabbed, torn to shreds and blown to shit – because he didn't want to pull his gun out or it would've meant the hostages would be killed." He crouched down so we were eye level and he spoke in the most hostile tone I have ever heard. "And even after we took the perp down, Wilde didn't want to be saved if it meant he would have to be upgraded. He wanted to die just like he lived – BEING HIMSELF."

I stared at him in confusion and I was pretty sure the rest of the force did so as well. "Then that means…"

"He was FORCED to live. The top fucking brass wanted to play scientist with his mangled ass and they took him apart – PIECE by FUCKING PIECE – and stuck him in a new body." For the first time in a long while I was speechless. "Nick has the capability to kill anyone in a matter of seconds now and do you know what he does when we're sent out on missions?" Delgato stood up and sneered at me with venomous eyes. "HE PLAYS A FUCKING MEATSHIELD FOR CIVILIANS AND HOSTAGES. AND FUCKING PRICKS LIKE YOUR TIGER PAL HERE THINK THEY KNOW SHIT ABOUT HOW THINGS REALLY ARE IN THE SPECS!"

He stuck his paws in his pant pockets and walked to the door. "I'll forward the paperwork for the rabbit later today." The wolf walked out of the bullpen and left the door open so that everyone, sitting in unbroken silence could hear his footsteps go down the stairs and out of the station.

I stood up from besides my silent striped friend and looked at the chief. "I-I'll go patrol today if that's okay with you chief." A silent nod of approval was all I got before I hastily made my way out of the pen. Nobody looked at me as I left. Not even Fangmeyer…

 **Nick's POW:**

After I left her standing on the second floor, glaring at my back, I made my way to the underground garage with some directional information that I got from a rather 'plush' cheetah.

"Police cruisers are usually kept unlocked and the keys stashed in the glove compartment so that dispatched officers have an easier time entering their vehicles and don't have to worry about the keys." Damn the guy liked to talk. As luck would have it, the cruisers really were unlocked and waiting.

I wouldn't even need this fucking aug'd sense of smell to find which cruiser was hers. I figured she wasn't going to be down in 5 minutes anyway so I made myself comfortable in the passenger seat, rolled down the windows and jacked in to the car's console so that I could listen to some of MY music, not some cheeky goody goody police girl pop songs.

I guess being aug'd has some benefits to it. But I still didn't fucking ask for any of this shit. If it was up to me I'd be six feet under by now. But corporate interest rules the world. And what would rich CEOs be without their fucking expensive toys. And I'm just the newest line of action figure.

Hey at least I'm my own fucking music player now. I relaxed and stuck my feet out the passenger window as some good old acoustic rock filled the sullen garage.

After I checked the time, which I can handily do with my built in augmented reality visor, I decided to chew the rabbit off a bit for being late, when to my surprise the driver door opened and she plopped herself on the seat. She reached for the console and turned my music all the way down, so that we were sitting in complete silence, with me still sticking my foxy feet out of the window.

"Not a fan of rock?" I asked solemnly, staring out of the passenger window. She didn't answer so I broke off my mental connection with the cruiser console and pulled my feet back in.

When I turned to look at the rabbit sitting next to me, she hurled herself at me and HUGGED me. I swear I thought I could hear her sobbing something in my chest. I swear I heard her say:

 _I'm the monster…_

 ** _To be continued…_**


	3. Police Patrols and Broken Souls

Chapter 3: Police Patrols and Broken Souls

* * *

 **Third Person POW:**

 _I'm the monster…_

The bunny wept against the black suit of the fox sitting in the cruiser beside her. She flinched when strong cold paws held her arms. The touch was foreign, almost alien yet it was not unpleasant. He wasn't hurting her. She looked up slowly through teary eyes and her heart froze between beats. Looking down at her wasn't the cold freak, the _monster_ that ripped her friend's prosthetic arm off. Rather, looking down at her were eyes full of life and worry. If she focused on them, she could see certain lines and features that wouldn't pass as biological but nonetheless they were brimming with spirit and energy – complete opposites from what they were when she first saw them.

"Are all bunnies always so emotional or is it just you fluff?" The fox smirked fiendishly at the bunny officer who was clinging on to him. She gently pushed herself away from him and huffed.

"You don't have to be an asshole anymore you know." Nick frowned. "Your friend told us about… you." The cold paws held her tighter. It hurt now. His gaze was cold again.

"God damnit fluff… You were supposed to hate me!" He barked at her with fake aggression. The rabbit raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Why would that do us any good? Do you WANT to have a partner that hates you Nick?" She asked baffled. Nick looked away, his gaze lowered.

"No. But I wanted a partner who would leave my ass behind without a second thought if it came down to it between me and an innocent." He let her go. "Fluff… The specs aren't what you think they are…" He clenched his jaw tightly, his artificial fangs almost cracking. "We are the bad guys."

Judy's mind ground to a screeching halt. "Wh-what? How are you the bad guys? You chase down criminals…" She waited for an explanation. After what seemed like an eternity, the bunny figured she wasn't going to get one. "Nick ple-"

"Let's go to Happytown. I'll show you."

 **Judy's POW:**

"Let's go to Happytown. I'll show you." Was all the damn fox said before he went silent again. What the hell did I get pulled into? Nobody ever went to Happytown. We were ordered to avoid it. Strictly Specter territory. If you went there it meant handing in your badge the next day, if you made it out alive that is.

To say that Happytown is the bad neighborhood of the city is an understatement. The worst of the worst scum hide about there. And the Specters are presumed to rule over the territory with an iron fist. If you got in there and got back out alive – and stayed that way, it usually meant that the specs wanted something from you or that they deemed you useful. Crime lords, mafia families and a colorful assortment of other criminals made their home on Happytown. It was definitely a place to avoid.

I put the cruiser in gear and made my way towards the criminal district of the city. Nick stayed silent throughout the entire drive there. Once we got to the edge of Happytown, he signaled me to pull over.

"Best not to go in there while you're still in police uniform." Get out of the car fluff." He said with a solemn stare out of the window and made his way out as well. After I got out of the police cruiser myself, I made my way around it and stood by his side, strangely close to a dark alley yet not in Happytown itself just yet. "Stand here." I complied in silence, still waiting for the explanation I never got. The fox made his way into the dark alley, just inside of the shadows so that he effectively disappeared from my vision.

"This fluff… Is the line that separates us." I remained silent. "You stand out there in the light, fighting for the common good of the people." He laughed almost miserably. "While I stand in the shadows of Zootopia, fighting alongside those who wish to hurt the common good."

"What do you mean Nick?" I felt a strange sorrow inside me. Somehow I knew what was about to come would not be good at all.

"The world is a bad place fluff. Accept it. It'll never be free of crime and corruption. And where there's crime, there's going to be organized crime. And that's where the specs come in. The black market, the mafia and all of that… We regulate, manipulate and pull their strings from behind the scenes. We created the Ticks to keep track of all the scum of this place. When someone goes off on their own or does something they shouldn't, the specs are sent out to hunt them down." I felt my eyes water and my breath freeze in my chest.

"That's who we are, WHAT we are fluff. We're the hounds of the underworld, the only thing standing between your world and the bumps in the night. The Specters make sure the bad stuff stays where it's supposed to… Firmly in our grasp." I couldn't believe my own two ears. I was 'promoted' to a glorified bounty hunter. I didn't ask for this.

"I'm NOT going to be serving under some crime boss!" I felt tears streak down my cheeks and anger flare in the pit of my stomach. "I didn't ASK for this you know!" The fox stepped out of the shadows. He looked destroyed inside.

"None of us did fluff." My eyes widened for a moment before I managed to regain my composure and wipe the remaining tears away. "By tomorrow any evidence that you're still alive will be gone. You'll be proclaimed KIA and your parents and siblings if any will be notified of the disaster that took their loved one's life. Any contact with your former friends and family will be deemed as rogue and you will be ticked and h-hunted down…" He choked on the last words.

"So you're going to kill me if I don't play along is that it, _fox_?" I could barely hold myself back at this point. I spent my entire life working my ass off to get into the ZPD and try to make the world a better place. And now it's all going to be ripped away from me because some stupid fox couldn't keep his fucking paws off of me!

"Worse. You'll wish they killed you." W-wait, they? So it's not the specs that hunt you down? Before I could as much as think of asking him any of the question that were burning inside me, the fox started speaking again. "They'll track you down fluff. And they'll stick this on you."

He brought his right paw up to the collar of his black suit and loosened his tie, so that he could pull the material down. Underneath gleamed a silver ring, running around the base of his neck.

"They make you watch as they… take away any reason for you to disobey orders."

"Did you…" His eyes caught my gaze and held it for minutes on end. His shoulders drooped and ears lay flat against his head. They took _everything_ from him.

 **Third Person POW:**

The canine fixed his suit back up and grit out through clenched teeth: "So you do what they tell you to fluff. You give them a show they won't see through. And when they aren't looking, you do you damnest to unfuck what they fucked over." Blowing out a breath of frustration, the fox made his way to the silent rabbit, his eyes aimed at the ground beneath them. "You sacrifice the life of one, to save the lives of many. Just like Bogo gave you up, KNOWING what he was thrusting you into in hopes that you could do what we have been struggling for."

Judy reluctantly looked up at Nick, wringing her paws on her chest. "The chief… knew?" she asked in a voice so small, it almost got past the fox. _Almost._ He sighed and knelt down to eye level.

"He's the one who does most of the unfucking fluff. He gives us mammals which he thinks would help out the most. Bogo isn't controlled or monitored as much as we are and the bastard makes sure to use that to his advantage." Nick smirked at Judy.

"It's a give and take kind of relationship we got going on. Like I said fluff, the chief helps us out with recruits and in return, the specs handle all the major conflicts that would otherwise put the ZPD officers in danger." He stood back up and sat back in the cruiser. With the window still rolled down, he smirked at the bunny again. "The Specters are a big group fluff. Don't trust any of them. Well… Except for Foxtrot, we'll take care of our own."

 **Judy's POW:**

In some strange way I thought he was telling the truth. He said they were the bad guys, but when no one else was looking they did more good than I've seen the ZPD do since I got stationed at Precinct 1. If the chief trusted me enough with the safety of the city to send me behind enemy lines, then who am I to doubt him. I'll change this world. If not from the inside, then I'll dig deep underground and start toppling the pillars of organized crime.

I'll become a Specter.

And I'm going to fix this world… I'll make it a better place.

After making my way back inside the car, I continued my daily patrol – this time it seemed the border of Happytown was my point of interest. Nick kept staring out of the passenger window and I saw him raise his paw to the silver band around his neck every once in a while. I coughed.

"What's that? Around your neck?" I wasn't sure he'd give me the answer. Hell I wasn't even sure if he acknowledged me at all. But he did. Nick just didn't show it.

"T.A.M.E. collar. Follow the rules or they flood your system with pain. Disobey enough times and they eventually stop turning it off." My mouth felt dry, like it was stuffed with cotton. If you didn't do what they said…

"Will I get one too?" I saw him flinch at my question. The fox sighed and returned to staring into the dreary abyss of the place Happytown had become. The weather was gloomy today.

"No fluff… Shit, I don't even know your name." Well that would've explained why he outright refrained from calling me anything else than fluff. Suppose the jerk could've at least remembered my name if he was going to ruin my life in the first place.

"It's Judy. Judy Hopps you jerk." I was sure he saw me scowl even though I wasn't looking directly at him.

"Well first off no you won't get one of these beauties unless you go rogue and second, why the hell am I a jerk?!" He half yelled at me.

"WHY?! Well how about ruining my life for starters? I can't ever see my family or my friends again!" He scoffed at me, REALLY scoffed. The kind of sound you make when your distaste for someone is beyond anything that it has ever been.

"Well _Judy_ , at least your family is fucking _alive_ okay?!" Oh right… Nice going Judy.

"Nick I'm sorry I didn't-" He cut me off before I could apologize.

"Just shut up and drive." We didn't speak anymore.

After a few hours of silent driving Nick told me to drop him off wherever and that I should go home and get the stuff that I wanted to keep.

I didn't sleep that night. The following morning I made sure to pack the few meager things I came to Zootopia with and a few extra shirts that I had bought over the course of my stay. I wasn't poor by any standards, the money I made at the ZPD, I usually spent on food, bills and a few clothes if I needed any. The rest I sent back to the farm. My family wasn't doing so well lately. And after today they probably wouldn't be doing well for a long while.

My alarm clock beeped at 5:30 and I got dressed in civilian clothing. The fox said it wouldn't do me any good if the only bunny cop was spotted alive in uniform after being proclaimed KIA.

I made sure to pocked my badge anyway.

The weather outside was as bleak as my mood. The morning was going to be dark and gray and probably rainy. I looked through the window of my little room one last time. The streets were quiet and dark, empty too. Well except for him standing on the other side of the street, looking at me.

Mister Nick Wilde, Specter and fox. This day was going to be _glorious_.

*click*

 **To be continued…**


	4. Ruined Lives and Twisted hearts

**Third Person POW:**

 _Click_  
A cheery voice flooded the bleak room.

"Hey sweetie! How are you holding up?" She could almost hear the smile on her lips.

"Your father and I are going through a bit of a rough patch with the farm. But the money you keep sending is helping out tremendously dear." The rabbit smiled a watery smile.

"H-Hey is that Judy? Heeeey Jude The Dude!" A worried male voice replaced the softer one from before.

"Don't you worry about us carrot farmers here! We're doing just fine. Your mother and me, we are so proud of you." She knew that he was probably crying at this point.

"Go make the city a better place! We love you Judy." The female voice said.

"Don't forget to visit on holidays!"  
 _Click_

In the darkness of dawn, soft sobs filled the soon to be abandoned apartment. She held the carrot recorder close to her as she wept.

"I w-will mom…"

After a few more minutes of trying to compose herself, the bunny placed the recorder pen in her pocket, grabbed the backpack filled with her stuff and slung it over her shoulder. She took one final glance at the mostly empty room and spotted a can of 'Fox Repellant' on the table beside the door. _I'm not going to be one of them. I'll do things right._ She grabbed the repellant and stuffed it in a side pocket of her backpack.

The tired bunny slowly closed the door to her apartment and with ears hung low made her way outside and across the street to where the fox, her soon to be partner in crime, was waiting for her.

"What took you so damn long rabbit?" He hissed at her, a cup of coffee in his right paw. Judy looked at the fox in disbelief. He was getting on her ass a mere moment after she left her life behind.

"Are you fucking serious?" the rabbit in question seethed at the mammal before her. Nick didn't even grace her with an answer, he merely shoved the cup at her, almost spilling its scalding content on the bunny.

"Shut up. I'm going to be killing you in the eyes of the public now so turn around." He took a few steps towards her apartment and stopped in the middle of the road. Nick didn't even glance at her.

"Or don't, I don't care either way." He pointed his palm out towards the window of her apartment. Judy stared at the fox in silence and after a few seconds of pure nothingness, she saw a small neon blue line beginning to weave its way through the air and coil at the center of the fox's' palm. The light formed a tight blue orb, floating a mere millimeter away from the paw pads of the one who summoned it.

The black clad fox narrowed his eyes at the housing like it had offended him in some horrid way and he whispered something to himself as the orb of light shot through Judy's window, shattering it on impact.

He lowered his arm and turned away from the building, only to see the bunny staring at him in bewilderment.

"What was th-" An obnoxiously loud explosion interrupted her as the very fabric of her apartment was torn apart and flung in every direction. In the bright blue light of chaos, shimmering in the sky, she saw Nick's outline. Toxic green met deep violet. To her, the fox looked like a demon. To him, the rabbit looked like an angel.

"Don't ask stupid questions." He said through clenched teeth as the fox snatched back his cup of coffee. This time though Judy had had enough and knocked the cup out of his paw the moment he grabbed it. The scorching hot liquid splashed on both of them before the cup hit the ground and remained standing upright with only a fraction of the beverage still left inside. The bunny winced in pain as the burns settle into her fur coat, but the fox remained unmoving, his eyes set in a stark glare that pierced through her to the rabbits very soul. The fox took a step towards her and fiercely pulled her closer by the collar of her shirt.

"I am in a VERY bad mood rabbit. You would be wise to not piss me off further." A low menacing growl resounded in the back of his throat as he bared his fangs at the bunny. Her nose twitching in fright and her ears pressed as low as possible, Judy barely managed to nod at him before he shoved her back and turned to walk down the street towards the train station. She followed a few feet behind, being careful not to irk the fox any further. She had a feeling he wouldn't hesitate to put her in the ground now that everyone already thought she was dead.

They walked in complete silence for what felt like hours. When they finally reached the station, the sun was barely beginning to rise. Nick jerked to a stop a few feet away from the entrance to the train station and turned to the rabbit trailing behind him.

"You will notice that the specters do NOT in fact reside in Happytown. Each squad has their own base of operations and ours - soon to be yours too Hopps, is here." He waved one paw nonchalantly towards the station. Walking up to the doors he placed one paw on one of the glass panes, then looked back at Judy.

"Come on Hopps. Time to put it on." He said as he turned to push through the doors, the two elephant sized portals easily swinging open under his weight. Judy cocked her head to the side then scampered after the fox.

The station was gorgeous in the morning light which refracted off of the glass dome roof. The tile floors were a warm peach color and trees were abundant in the metro transport facility. Colorful tubes lined the stairs and water canals, ready for the rodent population to take them above and beyond other mammals. Many a food place lined the walls of the station, offering everything from smoothies to ice cream. Built to suit every kind of mammal those fast food restaurants were quite a sight to see.

Judy noticed the water canals through which the aquatic mammals traveled to and from work, and she saw a few browning leaves floating on the surface. 'Autumn is coming.' She thought to herself as she padded silently after the fox. Her brain finally clicked and she understood what Nick had said.

"Put what on?" She asked with a hint of confusion plainly obvious on her voice. The fox before her smirked to himself as he strode across the station to one of the soda machines that had a strange logo on it's side. An orange F with a fox tail wrapped around it. He stopped in front of the machine and punched in an 8 digit code.

"The last suit you'll ever wear." The keyboard slid up, revealing a fingerprint scanner. Nick grabbed Judy by her shoulder, then placed his thumb on the scanner and in a matter of seconds, the pair seemed to disintegrate into thin air.

When Judy felt the fox grab her by her shoulder, she was about to speak up for him to let her go, when the world around her melted away in a fission of blues and whites. She was speechless as her mind tried to comprehend what she was seeing. After a few seconds of reality bending sights, the world seemed to stretch into a tunnel of unreal shapes and chilling sounds. When it stretched as far as Judy could see, it suddenly all came rushing back towards her, snapping like a rubber band and the bunny instinctively shut her eyes, and raised her arms to defend her head from the impact.

She felt him release her shoulder and a gentle melody filled the space around her. She remained in this guarding position for a while longer as the heavy footfalls of the fox echoed around her. After she was thoroughly convinced that she wouldn't be splattered against reality's windshield, the rabbit slowly lowered her arms and peeked up.

"I'm a castaway ~ and I reap what they sow ~" Nick's voice gently reached her ears and the bunny fully opened her eyes and straightened her back. What she saw left her feeling, underwhelmed. A smallish white room, no bigger than a walk in closet. No decorations what so ever, the room was completely bare with no windows or furniture or even lights! It seemed as if the walls themselves were illuminating the area she was currently in. At the far end of the room she was looking at was a glass sliding door. The kind of murky white glass that you couldn't see through no matter what. A deep dread settled into her as she realized that she was alone. Nick wasn't here anymore and the only way out of the room seemed to be through the door.

"Nick?!" She squeaked, turning her head around frantically looking for her jackass of a fox partner. She turned herself around a few times, subtly noting that there was nothing behind her but a blank white wall. The bunny lowered her ears and gnawed worriedly on her bottom lip.

"Come on Nick, this isn't funny!" Taking a few steps towards the door, she noticed the back of the room grow a bit dimmer. When she came a little closer to the glass door it automatically slid to the side, making no noise at all. She looked through the opening in the wall and saw a very dim, blue-ish corridor running forwards and then bending left at the end. Judy slowly walked through the door and almost as if her very presence resonated with the place, the walls around her grew brighter and the walls behind her grew dark. The door closed behind the bunny.

"Whoah..." She gasped to herself as she began walking forward at a snails pace, observing how the floors and the walls illuminated with her and dimmed behind her. The color of the light slowly shifted to a piercing white as she walked further down the corridor, the soft hum of Nick's voice still lingering in the air around her. Out of curiosity Judy ran one of her paws along the walls and almost immediately recoiled in shock. The walls weren't solid, instead they were a soft almost gooey substance. She once again pressed her paw into the wall, a bit harder this time and it sunk in ever so slightly. When she pulled back her paw print remained but the area around it began glowing a faint red. Ripples spread from her paw print as it reformed back into the smooth wall surface but it didn't stop there. A neon red line began weaving it's way on the wall spelling out 'Print Not Recognized. Please Wait For Inspection.'

Judy felt the floor beneath her soften and she began to sink very slowly. When she tried stepping from this soft spot, the bunny found her paws bound to its gooey substance which prevented her from walking or moving from her spot in the corridor. A crackle came from somewhere above her and a very irritated voice growled at her.

"If you're Nick's new partner, STOP TOUCHING THINGS! Yer not in the system and yer causing all sorts of lights to flash here and I'm TRYING to SLEEP!." Judy pulled her paws closer to her chest as she shrunk into herself under this angry voice. She spared a quick glance over at the red writing on the wall and noticed that it had changed to 'Inspection In Progress'. Looking around herself once more, she desperately tried to find her fox and stop this situation from getting any worse.

"NICK. Get down there NOW!" It yelled again and Judy heard an exasperated groan from somewhere down the hall. She could see the dim glow of approaching light from somewhere beyond the curve in the hallway, soft claw clicks tagging along with the approaching brightness.

"Shove it Finnick!" She heard the now familiar voice grunt out just as he rounded the corner, the walls around him illuminated a soft neon green, a stark contrast to her sterile white. He had his paws in his pockets and his back was slouched over a bit as he strode towards her temporary imprisonment. He stopped mere inches away from her, gazing into her big violet orbs, his own green ones mirroring and exhausted sadness. This was Nick. Without his mask.

"I-I'm sorry..." Judy stuttered out, averting her gaze to the floor and her trapped paws. She didn't want to cause any trouble in the few moments after she arrived at the Specter base. Yet somehow she did, and she managed to get some bossy asshole on Nick's back. She heard the fox sigh and she could feel his warm breath on her fur. She shrunk down further. _Great way to start your specter work Judy..._ The bunny mentally scolded herself. A few seconds later a cold paw gently brushed under the tip of her drooping ear and rested on her shoulder. She didn't want to look at Nick, to see his anger or disappointment directed at her. She would much rather just stay here, trapped in the floor and be ignored than to confront him. Another paw ran gently along her forearm and rested on her balled up fists, which clenched her shirt for dear life. Judy shut her eyes tightly and waited for the harsh words of how he she's just a burden or how he made the biggest mistake of his life by choosing her. The alien paw merely pulled at one of her fist until she relented and let it guide her paw freely. She felt it being pushed open and the soft fur and leathery pads of the fox which stood beside her press against her paw, a comforting warmth enveloping it, ever so slowly spreading through her arm and filling her entire form. Slowly Judy opened her eyes and saw a faint purple glow shine from the depths of her chest, barely making it through her clothes. Slowly the floor beneath her grew solid once again and she felt herself rising back up. The paw which was resting on her shoulder slowly pulled her closer, pressing her to a hard chest covered in plush fur. The bunny felt an arm wrap around her and hold her close.

Judy stood motionless as the cold fox was hugging her. Soon he rested his head on hers and slowly exhaled a breath she didn't know he was holding. The walls around them began dimming ever so slightly, the neon green fading to a deep forest green, shinning behind the fox. Her sterile white faded almost completely and it was slowly replaced by the same purplish color that she saw from herself a few moments prior. The two halves shone against each other, touching and flowing from one into the other. A beautiful swirl of color enveloping the two mammals. And then she heard him speak, quietly, almost a whisper.

"Don't be sorry. Be defiant. Yell at me, hate me. Anything... Just don't forgive me, _please_."

Her side of the walls dimmed completely. She grabbed at his shirt, the fox lacking the black coat from before. Tears prickling at her eyes, she let him hold her for a while longer.

"I can't hate you Nick. I don't want to."

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Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed :D

Do leave a review! It's what fuels my ego. x3


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